Palestine and Socialism

October 7, 2023 Hamas executed a surprise attack on military and civilian Israeli targets, killing over 1200 people and taking around 200 hostages. Israel’s response to Hamas’s horrific actions has once again been disproportionate and genocidal. We demand a ceasefire and condemn any attacks on civilians. In recent years DSA has made solidarity with Palestine a priority. We already had plans to do an episode on Palestine soon, but due to recent events we wanted to provide historical context as soon as possible, context that is rarely provided by the mainstream media in America.We will have more on this topic in the future. The DSA National Political Education Committee is working on additional educational materials, including training material on how to talk to non-socialistists on Palestine. This material will be available to everyone, but will be especially designed for local DSA chapters to facilitate their own trainings.In this episode we interview Sumaya Awad and Daphna Thier. Sumaya Awad is the Adalah Justice Project's director of strategy and communications, and coeditor of Palestine: A Socialist Introduction (Haymarket Books). You’ll recognize Daphna from a number of our previous episodes. She was previously the chair of the DSA National Political Education Committee, and is now the Labor Education Coordinator for Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC). Sumaya and Daphna have published multiple articles together in Jacobin on Palestine (see below).Articles by Sumaya Awad and Daphna Thier:The Tide Is Turning Against Israeli Apartheid (Jacobin)Why You Should Support Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Against Israel  (Jacobin)The One-State Solution  (Jacobin)In Israel, Zionism Prevents Working-Class Solidarity  (Jacobin)Sorry, Anti-Zionism Still Doesn’t Equal Antisemitism  (Jacobin)Note that Sumaya and Daphna both make reference to the number of Palestinian children that have died in the current conflict. According to the Washington Post as of yesterday, October 22,  1,873 children have died. Volunteer with DSA’s No Money for Massacres Phone-banks.DSA Members and U.S. Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib submitted a resolution to Congress titled “Ceasefire NOW”.  The NPC Steering Committee officially endorsed the resolution and is calling for all DSA members to send an email to their elected representatives demanding they sign on as co-sponsors of this resolution and end the genocide.DSA put together a Palestine Solidarity Toolkit that all members can use to stay informed, take action, and fight for peace and liberation. It contains important guidance for members and chapters on communications, secuSend us Fan MailBecome a member of Democratic Socialists of America.Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.